


Prologue

by Turchinorain



Category: Time Warp Trio (Cartoon)
Genre: Adventure, Family, Gen, Magic, Sibling Rivalry, TWT, Time Travel, friends - Freeform, the book, time warp trio - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 12:11:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11577837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turchinorain/pseuds/Turchinorain
Summary: How did it all begin? How far will someone go to gain power? Is it worth the life of your friends? Your family? Two brothers' rivalry, one brother's hunger for power and thirst for vengeance sets in motion a series of events that will alter the universe. And the events that lead to an eventual showdown between good and evil.





	1. Part I- The Beginning

**Part I- The Fight**  

Brooklyn, 1988 

The room was quiet. Late morning sunlight made the room bright as if there was something to be hopeful for. Joe sat on his bed, staring at the empty twin bed across from his. Guilt made his head feel hot and heavy. While his brother was probably getting the worst news of his life, Joe was considering betraying him. It couldn’t be helped though. The headmaster had barely managed to warn him in time as it was. It was only meant to be a warning, but Joe knew he couldn’t just wait for the inevitable to occur.  

With a resigned sigh, Joe finally stood up. Reaching into the front of his shirt, he pulled out a key that hung around his neck on a leather cord. There was only one other key in the entire world and it hung around his brother’s neck. That’s how close they were. Why else would they both be rooming together at the Warper’s Academy? But what Joe was about to do would probably destroy all of that. But it was for the good of the universe. 

Joe reached the other bed and dropped down to his knees. He drew out a box from underneath and ran his hands across the painted symbols on the top. They had made it together, the two of them to protect what was inside. The symbols glowed a faint green at his touch and the cloaking spell his brother put it dissipated revealing the lock. Joe fitted his key inside, turned, and the lock clicked open. The Book made no protest as he pulled it out and settled it into his lap. He used it almost as much as its owner so it was docile under his touch. With The Book securely in his possession, Joe knew he should leave before he was caught, but he hesitated. Was this it? Was he just going to steal The Book and leave for good? No, he couldn't. Joe had to save the universe, but this was still his brother. So before he left, he pulled out a piece of paper to write him a note.  

"I'm sorry," He said out loud as he wrote, "But this is for your own good-- Joe." 

He left the note the box and pushed it back under the bed. There was no going back now. Joe had to vanish, lay low for a while until things died down. But there was one place he had to go first. So Joe opened The Book, turned to the right page, and let the green mist carry him away. 

As soon as the green mist cleared, Joe hit the ground running. He gripped his messenger bag to him as if his life depended on it. Because it did. And his family's. And the fate of the universe. But what was important right now was getting to Jane. He had to get to Jane before hedid. There's the church, Hicks street, there! Joe ran across the street, nearly getting hit by a car in the process and started banging on the door, not even bothering to find his keys.  

"Jane!" He cried frantically, "Jane open up it's me!" 

He kept banging, his heart in this throat and anxiety twisting his stomach into a tighter and tighter knot until the door suddenly swung open. Joe tensed, but thankfully the person on the other end was one person he was looking for. The relief was so overwhelming that he forgot the dire urgency of the situation at hand and drew her into his arms in a tight embrace. He didn't know what he would have done if anything had happened to her.  

"Joe?" Jane pushed away to look at him in concern, "What are you doing here? I thought you were still at the Academy?" 

"Are mom and dad home?" Joe moved past her, looking around nervously, "Are you alone?" 

"Yes.  And they're still in Africa. What's going on? Is Jack... okay?" 

"Jack's the problem," Joe sighed and finally looked at Jane, "The Council has rescinded his right to be the Warp Wizard." 

Jane gasped and staggered back in shock. Joe nodded grimly, watching as his sister sank down on the kitchen chair. She suddenly looked older than her twenty years.  

"This is my fault," she moaned, tears welling in her eyes, "I was supposed to teach him how to use The Book properly. I should have seen that his little pranks were more than that." 

Joe shook his head and kneeled in front of her to take her hands in his, "It's no one's fault but his. Jack knows how serious time magic is and yet he continued to abuse it and The Book. We both tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen." 

"I know you're right but still," Jane took a deep breath and set her shoulders, "When are they taking The Book away?" 

Joe took a deep breath and stood up, "They aren't." 

Jane stared at him in confusion until he reached into his bag and pulled out The Book. His sister's eyes widened and she looked between him and it. 

"J-Joe did you-" 

"I had to!" He cried out in desperation and frustration, "You know how mad Jack gets when something doesn't go his way. You know he wouldn't just give up The Book. So I took it before he had the chance to do anything we'd all regret." 

Jane nodded, her lips pressed together in a thin line, "What now?" 

"You take this," Joe pushed The Book into her hands and stood her up, "And hide in the pantry. He might be coming for it soon. And you." 

"I'm not afraid of him," Jane stood up straighter, the fire of determination coming into her hazel eyes. "I'm the older sister here remember? Maybe I can reason with him." 

Joe gave her a weary smile. Her bravery was something that he had always admired in her. Heck, she's the one who taught him self-control with magic. But despite her skills with The Book, Jane just didn't have any inherent time magic in her. If it came down to a fight, Jane wouldn't stand a chance.  

"No," Joe said decisively. His heart felt like lead but he forced himself to look his sister in the eyes. "I'm the one who betrayed him, I'm the one who has to face him." 

A sudden violent shudder shook the house, so strong that the dishes in the cupboard trembled. Joe could feel the blood drain from his face and Jane paled as well. Time was up, he was coming.  

"Go, go, go," Joe eased Jane into the cupboard and closed the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. Quickly, he scribbled a cloaking spell onto the wood which glowed a faint white before disappearing.  

"I put a cloaking spell on the cupboard so he can't sense you or The Book," He explained, "Stay quiet though, it isn't very strong and it may not last long." 

"Okay, but Joe, please be careful," She whispered.  

Joe barely had time to nod before the front door slammed open. He moved away from the cupboard and sat at the kitchen table to wait. He didn't have long to wait.  

Jack stormed into the kitchen, his face livid with rage and his magic crackling around him. But already his time magic had changed from vivid green to pale yellow. Joe felt a bead of nervous sweat roll down his back but forced himself to maintain a calm façade. To his surprise though, Jack seemed to calm a little when he saw him.  

"Please tell me that this is some joke," Jack pulled out the note, now crumbled, and threw it onto the table. "Please tell me that my own  _brother_ is just pulling some kind of twisted joke on me and not betraying me!" 

Jack's voice had risen to a scream, all manner of calmness once again replaced with fury and rage. Joe refused to flinch back even as he felt nauseous. He was the baby of the family, seventeen to Jack's eighteen and Jane's twenty, but he felt like everything was riding on his shoulders. He took a deep breath, looked his brother in the eyes, and told him the truth. 

"It's not a joke." 

CRAACK! The table split in two, the wood destroyed by Jack's crackling yellow magic sparking from his hands.  

"Give. It. Back," he growled slowly through gritted teeth, "The Book is mine and you had no right to take it." 

Joe stood up slowly, feeling his resolve weaken in the face of his brother, "Jack, please, I'm begging you to understand. You can't be the Warp Wizard anymore and nothing is going to change that not even The Book." 

"It's my birth right!" Jack screamed, "Mine! Mine! I don't care what you say or what some stupid council says!" 

"Jack, please-" 

"Where's Jane?" 

Joe's stomach tightened but he kept his face blank, "Leave her out of this." 

"Where is she?" Jack demanded again, "Or did you already turn her against me too?" 

"No one is against you, Jack," He grabbed his brother's shoulders, pleading for him to understand, "I'm trying to help you. I would never betray you!" 

Jack glared at him, but there was a true vulnerability and hurt in his eyes, "Liar. You've always been jealous of me. Jealous of my power and that I was going to be Warp Wizard. What? Do you think that since they've passed over me, they're going to pick you?" 

Joe shook his head helplessly. He had never envied Jack's Warp Wizard inheritance. It was too much of a burden, too great of a responsibility. But Jack was attracted to the immense power that came with it.  

"Jane!" Jack pushed Joe away and called out for their sister, "Jane whatever Joe told you is a lie! Give me The Book! Don't turn on me like he did!" 

"You're not going to find her or The Book, Jack," Joe said firmly, "I know you're upset about losing Warp Wizard, but-" 

"I didn't lose anything. It was stolen from me! Jane!" 

"The Book will never be yours!" 

"Jane, no harm will come to you if you join me now," Jack's voice took on a chilling edge, "but I promise you, if you betray me too, I'll never forgive you." 

Joe held his breath and began to build up his magic in his hands. He loathed to do so, but if it came to a fight- 

"Aha!"  

Jack threw open the cupboard with a triumphant shout. His face fell though when the cupboard appeared empty. Joe, being the one who cast the cloaking spell, could see Jane's faint outline. He hoped that Jack would give up then and there, but unfortunately his intelligence could not be underestimated. Eyes narrowed, he reached out suspiciously. Joe felt his breath hitch and hoped Jack wouldn't hear it. But Jane was smart too. Movingly slowly, because she knew the spell wasn't strong, she took a minute step backward. After a moment, when Jack's hand touched nothing, he gave up and slammed the cupboard shut.  

"Jane I know you're here!" Jack shouted and this time there was no mistaking the vulnerability in his voice. "If you want to betray me too then fine! I don't need you! I don't need Joe! I don't need anyone!" 

"Jack-" 

"I will get what's rightfully mine," Jack continued, his voice becoming low and dark, "The Book will be mine and the universe too." 

"This why the council rejected you!" Joe snapped grabbing Jack by the collar. "You're power hungry and- and- you're insane!" 

The next instant Joe went sprawling on the floor, blood in his mouth and his jaw aching. Jack stared down at him, both surprise and anger on his face. His fist was still trembling and sparking with magic. The two brothers stared at each other, the space between them yawning open like a chasm. No matter how bad things had gotten before, no matter how many fights they'd had in the past, they had never struck each other before. Jack's mouth opened and for a moment he looked remorseful. But then his expression closed off and his hands began to glow again.  

"Give me The Book. Now." 

"Jack..." Joe finished scrawling the spell he had been secretly writing on the floor, "I can't." 

As soon as he finished writing the final letters, the symbols raced across the floor and began to swirl around Jack. They glowed brightly, creating a vortex of light and Jacks entire body went rigid as if restrained by an unseen force.  

"J-Joe!" Jack called above the rising noise, "What are you doing?" 

Joe stood up and looked his brother in the eyes, "Saving the universe.  _Exilium_ _Alias!_ " 

The light increased in intensity and Jack began to howl in rage. "I'll never forget this brother! I will get The Book back do you hear me? I'll get it back!" 

In the next instant, he was gone. No flash of light, no sonic boom. Just gone. Joe's knees shook and almost gave out. Spells of that magnitude always took a lot of energy out of him. Even now the spell on the cupboard was wearing off, the letters appearing again before fading. The door open and Jane walked out still clutching The Book. Tears beaded in her eyes and her lips trembled.  

"Where did you send him?" She asked in a whisper.  

Joe shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. That was the first time I've completed that spell." 

They were quiet for a minute, staring at the space where Jack had been. His final words still seemed to echo through the kitchen. Wordlessly, Jane handed The Book over to Joe who tucked it safely away in his bag again.  

"I'm going to try and find a protection spell to cover this household," Joe finally said, "So he can't back." 

Jane looked at him in shock, "But Joe, it's his home too!" 

"He threatened all of us Jane," Joe's voice began tight, "Who knows how far he'll go to get The Book?" 

Jane opened her mouth to argue but turned away with a resigned sigh.  

"It doesn't have to be forever," Joe continued, "I'll keep The Book safe until a new Warp Wizard can be found. Whoever that is will have to deal with Jack's ire."  


	2. Part II- Training, Or Lack Thereof

**Part II- Training, Or Lack Thereof**

The classroom was quiet. The only sounds to be heard was the hum of the a/c and the occasional scratching of pencils on paper. The mood was one of bored expectation. The bell was due to ring any moment, but it being a weekday there was nothing to look forward to aside from homework. Which was why most of the students were content just finishing up their worksheets, a bored yawn escaping them every now and then.  

Except for one student.  

Joe felt a sort of anxious excitement, torn between looking at the clock on the wall and at least pretending to do his work. While everyone else had homework to look forward to, he had something far greater (and more awesome) waiting for him after school. Well, he had homework too but that wasn't important. He lost the battle with appearing like a dedicated student and stared up at the clock. Five more minutes. Five more minutes until class ended and he could meet his uncle for training. Joe repressed an impatient groan and went back to his worksheet, doodling clocks in the margins. He couldn't wait until he was older and didn't have to go to school anymore. As soon as he graduated high school, an unfortunate five years away since he was still in eighth grade, Joe was going to forgo college and work with his uncle full time. His mother would probably kill him, but it was a risk Joe was willing to take. Magic was just... everything. It was incredible, and fun, and so very, very cool. Who wouldn't want to spend the rest of their lives just doing that? Joe would give just about anything to make a living entertaining people with his magic like his Uncle Joe did. Well, that or being Warp Wizard. Whatever that meant. 

The bell suddenly rang, loud and shrill. There was a sudden rush of activity as everyone gathered their things. Joe haphazardly shoved the contents of his desk into his backpack and rushed out the door. The bell had only rang few moments ago but already the hallway was crowded. Joe quickly maneuvered his way through the press of bodies to his locker. But since his class was located almost on the other side of the school, Fred and Sam were already there waiting for him by the time he reached it. Fred had his gym bag over one shoulder since he was on his way to practice and Sam had an armload of library books. Joe spared them a quick greeting as he dialed his combination as fast as he could. Before he met with his uncle he needed to change out his school supplies for something much more important.  

"There you are," Joe smiled as he grabbed The Book. 

"I can't believe you keep brining that thing school," Sam shook his head in disapproval, "I'd remind you how dangerous that is but I'd be wasting my breath." 

"Relax Sam," Fred slung an arm around Joe's shoulders, "Joe's been having back to back lessons with his uncle. He's probably close to mastering by now. Right Joe?" 

"Well sort of," Joe shrugged his arm off, "Uncle Joe's been kinda busy lately so he's been having to push back our lessons. But we're making up for it today." 

Both Sam and Fred frowned, exchanged looks, and looked back at Joe. 

"Isn't that what you said last week?" 

"And the week before that?" 

"And the week before that?" 

"And the-" 

"Okay, okay, so he's be  _really_  busy," Joe interrupted them, slipping on his backpack. "But we are making progress. How do you think I went from Time Page to Level 1 Warper?" He added smugly.  

"Weren't you a Time Page back in 5th grade?" Fred asked in genuine confusion, "And you've just now reached level one?" 

Joe rolled his eyes, "Whatever, when I'm done with my lessons today, I'll prove to the both of you how much better I've gotten."  

On the bus heading home, Joe tried to put Fred and Sam's teasing out of his head. He knew they probably meant well, but it was still annoying to hear. Didn't they think he already knew how long ago he made Time Page? Nearly two and a half years! It wasn't that Joe hadn't been practicing using The Book or his magic, as a matter of fact he loved it. He just didn't study  as hard as Sam would for a test, or practice as hard as Fred before a game. Joe had seen the stress those two went through and it wasn't exactly tempting to say the least. Besides, to him, magic was about your heart and soul, not being locked in a room studying all day. He hated those illustrations of wizards locked in dank looking rooms sitting hunched over a pile of books.  

"There's no way I'll ever be like that," Joe muttered defiantly to no one in particular.  

The bus pulled to his stop and Joe jumped off, ready and eager. The bus had taken him downtown where Uncle Joe had set up shop a few years ago after they got back from Scotland. Uncle Joe's shop was his apartment, office, and their training spot all rolled into one. The building itself was a bin run down but Joe barely thought of it as he climbed the steps and rang the buzzer marked "Joe the Magnificent".  

"Uncle Joe, I'm here," He called into the intercom. 

The speaker was silent for a moment before it gave a short buzz and the front door unlocked. Joe made his way inside, up three flights of stairs and finally made it to his uncle's door where the name "Joe the Magnificent" was taped to the door. Joe knocked excitedly. Yesterday he only made it to the front doors downstairs when a note had appeared in his pocket saying that his uncle had to step out and postpone their lesson that day. But today Joe was finally going to learn more about time magic.  

"Ah there's my favorite nephew!" Uncle Joe threw open the door and greeted him with a wide grin.  

"Uncle Joe!"  

Joe practically leapt into his arms. He was nearly thirteen now, but he wasn't above hugging his favorite relative. His uncle let him inside and Joe noticed that the apartment was still very much the same as last time, meaning that he probably just got back from wherever he's been. Books and scrolls were everywhere, some in neat stacks, others in messy piles. Take out containers and fast food bags were here and there. A book case in the corner held colorful bottles of  both liquids and powders, as well as objects Joe couldn't identify. Finally, the walls were decorated with photos and memorabilia from different countries and time periods.  

"Are you ready to get started dear nephew?" Uncle Joe asked once they settled in the living room, "We have a lot to cover." 

"I sure am," Joe pulled out The Book, "So, what are we going to study now?" 

Uncle Joe stroked his curling mustache thoughtfully, "Perhaps it's time to show you organic matter time distortion. And perhaps organic matter time appearance alteration. Very important difference between the two." 

"Oh, okay," Joe opened The Book but had no idea which page to turn to. He'd never heard of either function when he browsed through it before. But his uncle shook his head and gently took The Book from him.  

"Oh no, no, no nephew," he said, "You don't use The Book for this. You use your  _intrinsecus_ _maicus_." 

"Uh..." 

Joe stared at him uncomprehendingly. He knew that  _magicus_ was Latin for magic but he had no clue what  _intrinsecus_ meant. If it didn't have to do with The Book then maybe it had something to do with his lever one warper badge.  

"Okay, so let's try something else," Uncle Joe broke the awkward moment, "Let's tap into your magic aura and warm up exercising that." 

"Magic aura, you haven't taught me that yet," Joe began to feel excited again, "Okay, where do we start?" 

Uncle Joe looked abashed and played with his beard, "I don't actually know... it was never something I was very good at. But you should have done it before right?" 

"Well..." Joe could only think one time where he felt real magic. He, Fred, and Anna had accidentally warped to China after Sam got stuck in The Book. Anna had almost been shot with an arrow and as Joe watched in horror, Master Waku's words came to mind. "Control your mind and you can control anything." After that, something Joe couldn't name happened, and he stopped the arrow in midair. He didn't know how he did it, he just did. When he told his uncle all of this, he nodded thoughtfully.  

"It seems to me that we should focus on studying your inner magic then," he said. He then snapped his fingers and an apple appeared on the table, "Now, try to recapture that same feeling and focus on this apple. See if you can lift it with your magic." 

"Okay," Joe took a deep breath, stretched his hand out, and focused. He tried to imagine the apple lifting without him touching it. After a moment, his hand felt a little warmer and when she cracked one eye open, he could have sworn he saw a faint green glow over the apple. But just when Joe got his hopes up, the glow and the warmth in his hand disappeared. He gave a disappointed huff. Glaring at the apple, Joe clenched his jaw and tried again. This time, his hand immediately began to glow and the apple began to tremble and glow as well.  

"I'm doing it," Joe gasped, "I can't believe I'm doing it." 

"N-now Joe, take it easy..." 

"But look, it's about to float." 

"Nephew, I think that's enough." 

"Almost... got it..." 

But the apple suddenly exploded, spraying them both with bits of apple. Joe laughed it off, still amazed at the fact he did something, but Uncle Joe's face was set in a grimace. 

"Perhaps we should go back to studying The Book," He muttered.  

"Oh, okay, I guess I could use more practice with it." 

"Excellent! Remind me, where did we leave off last?" 

"Hmm, let's see," Joe grabbed The Book and flipped to the table of contents. "Last time we trained you were helping me with localized warping. Can we start with that?" 

Uncle Joe looked at him in concern and confusion, "You haven't mastered that yet? I thought we went over that ages ago." 

"We did, or at least we started to," Joe rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "You kind of um, took off almost as soon as I got here. We haven't had a chance to practice it since." 

"Oh...well... no time like the present!" Uncle Joe quickly regained his upbeat optimism, "First, turn to page thirty-seven with the localized map and-" 

A sudden bright flash shone from down the hall where his uncle's bedroom was making Uncle Joe stop in mid-sentence. Before Joe could say anything his uncle jumped up and rushed to the other room. 

"Uncle Joe?" 

"Be with you momentarily nephew!" Uncle Joe called back. 

Joe sat back against the couch with an impatient frown. All he wanted to do was study magic and be a great entertainer like his uncle. He would be willing to work hard if his uncle just gave him the chance. An idea made him perk up though. Summer vacation was only a couple of months away. What if he was able to convince his mom to let him stay with Uncle Joe during the summer? He could not only learn better from him, but he could also travel with him whenever his uncle disappeared on him. It could be like a... time travel internship. There's no way Uncle Joe could say no to that. 

"I'm sorry about that dear nephew-" 

"Uncle Joe, I just had the best idea!" 

"-but something has just come up and I'm going to have to go."  

"Wha-"  

Joe took a better look at his uncle who was carrying a suitcase and frantically shoving things inside. Uncle Joe's hands were shaking as he packed and he looked more nervous than Joe had ever seen him. And he'd seen him tied to a rack before.  

"I'll try to be back as soon as I can," Uncle Joe pulled Joe to his feet, handed him The Book, and ushered him to the door. "You know how to reach me in case of emergencies. Just keep reading The Book and you'll master it in no time. Ta ta!" 

Joe was nearly pushed out of the apartment and the door was unceremoniously shut behind his back. Seconds later there was a green flash under the door and Joe knew that his uncle was gone.  

"Oh come on!" Joe threw his hands up in frustration. There was nothing he could do though. He guessed it was going to be another night of homework and skimming The Book by himself.  

By the time Joe got home it wasn't even dinner time. He had only been at his uncle's for half an hour, a new record.  He let himself in and found his mom in the kitchen just getting dinner started. Anna was at the table doing homework while her cat slept on the floor by her feet. His dad was absent, either in his study or on a business trip again.  

"Hey you," His mom greeted him with a smile, "I thought you were going to your uncle's house today." 

"I did," Joe grumbled and sat at the table, his head on his hands, "He had to leave though almost as soon as I got there. Has he always been so..." 

"Sporadic?" His mom offered with a chuckle, "Ever since I can remember he's always been high spirited. Kind of reminds me of you when he was your age." 

Joe let out a reluctant chuckle at the thought of Uncle Joe being a kid like him. He wondered if Uncle Joe used to bug his friends with a bunch of card tricks like he does with Fred and Sam. He also wondered if uncle had his own... adventures when he was his age. He also wondered if his mom shared in any of his adventures too. 

"Hey mom," Joe ventured, "when you guys were younger, did you and Uncle Joe um... have any adventures." 

His mom hummed, still busy fixing dinner, "I supposed we were as rambunctious as any siblings were when we were kids. We fought just as much too. Kind of like you and your sister."  

"Hmph, we wouldn't fight so much if Joe wasn't such a jerk," Anna mumbled. 

"I'm not a jerk, your just annoying," Joe shot back. 

"Okay you two," His mom quickly interrupted a brewing argument, "Joe, isn't there some homework  _you_ should get to?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."  

Joe stuck his tongue out at Anna before grabbing his stuff and heading to his room. He dumped his stuff on his bed, barely caring when a wisp of green smoke leaked out of The Book.  

"Calm down," he told it and the green mist immediately stopped. One of the few things that he did manage to learn from Uncle Joe was that The Book was kind of alive and could be calmed with simple conversation. Joe flopped on his bed next to his school supplies and text books. He could read The Book for a few hours tonight. His homework was pretty light so it wasn't like he couldn't wait 'til the morning to do it.


	3. A Kidnapping, Showdown, Aftermath

**Part III- The Kidnapping**

The next morning Joe sat bored in the Advanced American History class he shared with Sam. The class was supposed to be quietly copying down the timeline the teacher was writing on the whiteboard, but Joe was too annoyed to concentrate. Instead, he quietly told Sam what happened.

"So he just shoved you out of his apartment and left?" Sam whispered, "That sucks."

"I told you he's been really busy lately," Joe sighed, "I just wished he would take me with him. It's been like, two weeks since I used The Book to actually warp."

"Yeah and that was a disaster." 

The teacher cleared her throat and shot them a warning look before returning to the whiteboard. Sam shot Joe a mildly annoyed look before returning to his notebook. Joe suppressed a chuckle since he knew that the annoyed look was meant for the teacher not him. Sam had already written his own timeline and looked like he was writing notes for a chapter further ahead. Unfortunately, Joe wasn't quite that smart. He liked history and all, but taking advanced history classes was Uncle Joe's idea. He thought that getting Joe more familiar with history would help him with using The Book better. Joe looked down at his notebook but was particularly inclined to write notes. Instead he began doodling watches and hour glasses in the margins of his notes. Maybe he'll use The Book later just for fun. He thought that being a Time Page would change everything, but since his uncle had been training him and monitoring his book use, he felt like he barely warped anymore. He even missed the sea sick spinning feeling that came with it.

"Joe!"

Joe nearly fell out of his seat, "Y-yes?"

The classed tittered and he could guess by the teacher's irritated expression that this wasn't the first time she called his name. 

"I was asking if you knew what year the French and Indian war began," the teacher frowned and crossed her arms, "that is, if you don't mind taking a break from daydreaming to rejoin my class."

The class tittered again and Joe could feel his face get hot from embarrassment. He anxiously glanced down at his notes but he had stopped writing well before that point. In an act of desperation, he glanced at Sam who rolled his eyes but mouthed  _1754_ to him.

"1754," Joe blurted quickly. 

The teacher narrowed her eyes and for a minute Joe thought she was going to call him out for getting help from Sam, but she only turned back to the whiteboard. He breathed a sigh of relief and slouched down in his seat.

"You should pay better attention in history class if you're going to be using The Book again," Sam whispered.

"Or... I can just learn first-hand," Joe grinned.

Sam though, was not smiling, "You're not serious, are you?"

Joe pretended not to hear him over the sound of the bell ringing. Part of him knew that Sam was right, as always. Warping was an adventure, but a dangerous one. He had been doing it for a while though it wasn't nearly as dangerous as Sam like to pretend it was. Joe waited patiently while Sam finished methodically packing his things so they could meet up with Fred before going to their separate classes. One of the down sides of entering middle school was the three of them were split up for most of the day. Homeroom, PE, Math, and his and Sam's shared history class were the only classes they had together now. Their lockers were thankfully next to each other so they could meet in between classes. By the time Sam finished packing and they made their way through the (again) crowded hallways, Fred was already there waiting for them.

"About time you two showed up. How was training Joe?"

"Oh, it was great," Joe rolled his eyes, "We talked for about five minutes, tried to teach me how to use something called my magic aura, but then he got called away and he left. And I went home." 

"Oh bummer," Fred looked away awkwardly for a moment and then brightened with a grin, "Hey! You know a great way to get some practice in-"

"Don't!" Sam interrupted swiftly with a stern look on his face, "Fred, Joe's only gotten slightly better at using The Book-"

"Hey!"

"and even if he was a pro, using The Book is still super dangerous. He should wait for his uncle to came back first. Practice more of those card tricks he has yet to master." Sam crossed his arms looking adamant on the matter. 

Joe and Fred looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Sam's dislike of The Book and magic in general was well-known and more often than not ignored. Still, Joe hated to admit it but Sam kind of had a point. 

"Fine," Joe relented with a mock sigh, "We'll just hang out at my place after school again. Same old junk food, same old video games. And I'll even show you guys my latest magic trick. Is that okay with you?"

Fred smirked, "We could do without the lame magic tricks but sounds good to me." 

The five-minute warning bell rang causing a frantic stir in the hallways. Sam turned a shade paler and frantically began exchanging books and binders while Joe and Fred moved at a less harried pace. Joe's next class happened to be English and while it wasn't hard, it was mind numbingly boring. Going at a light jog, he made it to class just as the bell rung. Sitting near the back, he managed to pay attention for about ten minutes before he began day dreaming and doodling. This time, instead of just clocks and hourglasses, he drew himself. But not ordinary him. Joe the Show, the most incredible magician who ever lived. He drew himself taller, older, with muscles of course but not too many. Magic glowed from his hand and swirled around him. He even sketched a couple of planets above him, showing that he was master of the universe. It tied the picture together pretty nicely if he did say so himself. He wondered if he'd go to Vegas one day, preform on a big stage nightly. Or maybe he'd be like his Uncle Joe and be a travelling magician. But none of that would happen if his uncle didn't take the time to teach him magic. Jodie used to talk about something called the Daily Warper. Maybe he could take out an ad and get someone else to teach him. Joe sighed. No, he loved learning with his uncle. He just had to be patient with him. Uncle Joe wouldn't let him down. 

For the next few hours school moved slowly. By the time it was over Joe would be happy no never go to school again. Fred had practice (again) and Sam had to stay after school to ask a teacher something, so Joe had to ride the bus home alone. The fall air was just now turning cold so the ride was actually pleasant. The quiet gave him time to think. Maybe he could convince Sam that warping wasn't super dangerous. They hadn't been Greece or ancient Egypt for a while. Or maybe they could watch a movie and get inspired. 

When Joe reached his door, he pulled out his key and let himself inside, "I'm home!"

There was no answer. Joe frowned and scratched his head. Anna wouldn't be home for another hour but he thought his mom had the day off. And his dad was probably still out of town. Joe wandered into the kitchen for a snack and saw a note tacked onto the fridge. Grabbing a cheese stick from the fridge first, he munched on it while he read the note, written by his mother. 

_Joe, got called into work. Please fix a snack for Anna too. Be home soon. Love, Mom._

Joe rolled his eyes and tossed a cheese stick on the table for Anna. He wasn't her butler. Besides, Anna should be right behind him soon, she could fix her own snack. 

"Man, this thing is heavy." Joe shoved off his backpack and rifled through it to find his planner. The Book wasn't present this time. Uncle Joe hadn't contacted him again so it was upstairs in its wooden box. Briefly, he thought about finally buying a better lock for it, but that thought left when he realized he had a reading assignment for English to do. 

An hour later there was a knock on the door right before he heard it open. 

"It's just Joe's house, why are we knocking?"

"Uh... because it's rude not to?"

Joe looked up as Fred and Sam came into his living room, "Since when do you two just come into my house?"

Sam gave Fred an "I told you so" look which Fred responded to with an eyeroll. "So, Joe what’s to eat around here? I'm starving!"

Joe pointed him in the direction of the kitchen while Sam started setting up his homework next to him. Fred eventually joined them but read comics instead. They were about twenty minutes in when Anna's cat wandered into the living room, mewling and pawing at Sam's pant leg.

Sam frantically shook his leg, "Ah! Joe, tell it to get off!" 

"Shoo! Shoo!" Joe pried the cat off and pushed it away, but it only came back mewling louder. "Anna! Come feed your..." He trailed off when he realized that his sister still wasn't home. He glanced at the clock and realized that she should have been home over an hour ago.

"Joe, get your cat off of me," Sam attempted to bat the cat away himself, "where's your sister?"

"That's exactly what I'm wondering." Joe stood up and went to check the house phone in case Anna left a message or called. Nothing. And nothing on his cell either. He huffed in irritation and dialed her number himself. He was going to kill her if she was at her friend's house without telling anyone. 

"-Hey! This is Anna Arthur, leave me a message!"

"Anna, you know who this is. You're late coming home so call me back before you get us both in trouble. Bye." Joe hung up but was beginning to feel anxious. Anna never did stuff like this before. If his mom came home and she still wasn't here, his mom would throw a fit. 

"Hey Joe! Where's your sister?" Fred called from the living room, "I think her cat is trying to eat Sam!"

Joe rejoined then in the living room, shaking his head and feeling weirder by the second, "I have no idea. She's not even answering her phone. My mom is going to freak if I don't find her. Unless... I got it!" He snapped his fingers as a sudden thought occurred to him. "I use The Book!"

"Really?" Sam shrieked, "Joe, you aren't even being subtle."

"No seriously, The Book can find her. Come on, I'll show you." He raced upstairs with Fred and Sam following behind. It was something that Jodie had actually taught him a while ago. It was just never that useful to him since he still wasn't able to hold on to The Book during a warp. 

Upstairs, he went into his room, and grabbed the wooden box that held The Book. When he opened it though, he immediately knew something was wrong. The Book was trembling as if it was afraid, and somewhere in back, something in the back was glowing yellow.

"What in the-" Joe reached out but Sam caught his wrist.

"Don't touch it!" He hissed, "who knows what it's about to do?"

"But Sam, don't you remember the last time The Book did something weird?" Even Fred was whispering, "Joe was disappearing because Mad Jack was messing with his timeline. What if it's him again?"

"Then it could be a time-bomb," Joe pressed his lips together and braced himself, "Only one way to find out I guess."

As soon as Joe touched The Book it leapt out of its box and levitated in front of them. Sam shrieked and dived behind Joe and Fred who started at it in shock. The pages moved on its own, flipping until it reached one of the last pages which was glowing yellow. "Messages", something that Joe had never seen before, was written at the top. The center of the page was glowing the brightest and the image of a dream catcher appeared. Joe waited for it do more but nothing else happened. He lifted his hand and after a moment's hesitation, he touched the dream catcher. The center seemed to waver for a moment and moving images appeared like a shaky hand-held video. Joe peered closer. It was hard to see because of the angle, but it looked like some underground cavern filled with billowing smoke. 

"What is this place?" Joe asked out loud, "And why would The Book show me this?"

But suddenly, the image shifted and someone appeared that made them all gasp. 

"Mad Jack!"

"Hello dear nephew," Mad Jack gave them a smug smile, "by the time you see this video, I'll bet you'll be wondering where your  _bratty_ little sister is." 

Joe felt his blood run cold, "He- he wouldn't. He didn't-"

"Would you like to see her?" The view point changed with a blur of bright yellow and suddenly it was a smaller area with a single chair. Tied to that chair was Anna, her ankles tied to the legs, her arms tied behind her back, and a piece of duct tape across her mouth. She was struggling, yelling something angrily that was muffled by the tape. Her backpack was on the floor.  

"Anna!" Joe leapt up but was helpless to do anything. She didn't look hurt at least, just very,  _very_ agitated. 

The view changed again and Mad Jack's face reappeared again. "As you see, she hasn't been hurt  _yet."_ Mad Jack paused and snapped his fingers making his staff appear in his hands. "If you don't bring me The Book, she'll be... more than a little hurt."

Mad Jack pointed the staff at the wall behind Anna and blasted. She screamed and flinched away as pieces of debris hit her cheek. 

"Oh, and if your favorite,  _incompet_ _ent_ uncle hasn't taught your how yet, you can find me by pressing 'locate' after this message. See you soon, nephew."

He began laughing which was cut off as the video ended and turned into a faded image. And just as he said the word "locate" appeared right under the words "play again". 

"W-we have to call the police." Sam was the first to speak, looking wide eyed with terror. He looked at them both, "R-right? We have to call 911."

"I'm with Sam on this," Fred also looked spooked, uncharacteristic for him, "This is way out of our league."

Joe heard them, but felt rooted to the spot. His heart was beating hard, almost painfully. All he could see was that staff blasting the wall. Anna's scream as she was pelted with little pieces of destroyed rock. It had happened so quickly. One minute solid, rock wall, the next minute there was a hole. A solid ten pounds of rock just... gone. Could a cop's bullet compete with that? Would they even be able to convince them to come?

"No," Joe fists clenched, "We can't go to the police."

"What!?" "Joe!"

"Guys don't you get it!? We can't involve the police with this!" Joe began pacing, his heart still pounding. "What do we do? Call 911 and tell them that my crazy evil uncle kidnapped my little sister and is holding her hostage for The Book? Oh, what is The Book? It's a magic book that holds the space time continuum between its pages! And when they do get there, he could just blast them to nothingness!"

He was shouting but he couldn't help himself. Fred and Sam were staring at him helplessly. Joe took a shaky breath and sat down on the bed. Truth was, he hadn't even heard from Mad Jack since Scotland when he and his uncle-

"Uncle Joe!" Joe jumped up again and pulled out his phone, "he helped me fight Mad Jack before!"

But when he dialed the number and waited, it kept ringing. And ringing. It went to voicemail so Joe hung up and tried again. It started ringing and with each empty ring Joe's stomach began twisting. When the voicemail beeped he gave in and left a message. 

"Uncle Joe it's me, Mad Jack kidnapped Anna! He has her hostage and wants The Book in exchange. Call me back, right away. Please!"

Fred and Sam looked at him expectantly, but he shook his head. "I couldn't get him, I left a message."

"Well, what do we do in the meantime? Wait?"

Joe shrugged and ran a hand over his face. He started pacing again without even realizing it. Mad Jack hadn't given them a deadline but every second they spent waiting for Uncle Joe, Mad Jack could be getting impatient and angry. Joe and Anna were his nephew and niece, they were literally family. But Mad Jack was willing to hurt them, willing to hurt Anna. If they waited too long who knew what could happen? And Joe would be helpless to stop it. 

Or was he?

He was a level one warper now. He had The Book for years, had been trained by Uncle Joe even if it was sporadic. Mad Jack had always been after The Book and failed. He was going to fail again. 

"Come on!" Joe felt a sudden burst of energy and picked up The Book from off the floor where it had fallen, "we're going to make a quick stop and then we're saving Anna ourselves!"

* * *

**The Showdown**

The green smoke dissipated, leaving them in a sparse wooded area near the opening of a rock cave. But more surprising, The Book was still in Joe's hands. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief. At least one thing was going right so far. 

"Joe are you absolutely sure about this?" Sam asked, "We should just wait for your Uncle Joe or your mom."

Joe shook his head, "I'm not letting my sister be held by that lunatic a second longer. Besides, my uncle is probably on his way here right now. He wouldn't let me down."

Fred gave an encouraging nod but the expression in his eyes were wary. Joe had to ignore it though. His head was buzzing and he reached into his pocket to grab Uncle Joe's magic pen. He had faced off with Mad Jack with it before, he could do it again. He was a level one warper, the future Warp Wizard and Mad Jack was just a lunatic. 

"Let's do this."

 Trying to be braver than he felt, Joe led the way into the cave. The light from the outside grew dimmer the further they went in. A dank, musty smell began to fill the air around them making Sam cough. There was more shadow than light now, their footsteps echoed. 

"It keeps getting darker," Fred's voice sounded hallow, "How the heck are we supposed to see anything?"

No sooner had he said that, the cave curved and a faint yellow glow shone ahead. Joe swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and they pushed forward. His uncle would find them, he just knew he would. His message was clear, Uncle Joe wouldn't just ignore it. 

"Um...J-Joe..." Sam began to hang back and stepped a little behind Fred. "I'm not so sure about this."

Yellow tendrils of smoke began to curl around their feet. The glow started to grow brighter. The buzzing in Joe's head began to increase and for a split second the thought occurred to him that it was The Book causing it. But that thought disappeared as soon as it appeared, and suddenly the tunnel opened up into an immense cavern.  So immense, that for a moment Joe thought that they had somehow stumbled outside. The light was nearly blinding, almost like sunlight. But once Joe's eyes adjusted he could see that the light was coming from cracks in the rock. Piles of stone varied in size around the cavern. Some were loose piles of stone that only rose to their knees, others almost reached to the ceiling. 

"This place is huge," Fred's voice echoed surprisingly loudly. He immediately lowered it, "how the heck are we supposed to find Anna?"

Joe looked around, desperate and frantic. It could take hours to search this cavern, hours that they probably didn't have. Mad Jack could already know they were there. Joe thought hard about the video, when Mad Jack revealed where Anna was. But the camera or whatever he used moved so fast that Joe hadn't been able to see anything. But then he spotted something against the wall; a door.

"There!" Joe pointed it out, "He has to be holding her there! Let's get her and-"

"So glad you came,  _dear nephew_!"

There was a rumble above them and a throne descended from above. Mad Jack's smile was triumphant and smug. Joe didn't want to wait for him to finish coming down though. He had only seconds to think. 

"Here!" Joe hissed under his breath and shoved The Book behind him into Fred's hands. "You and Sam so get Anna, I'll hold Mad Jack off as long as I can."

Fred and Sam used the cover of the smoke to covertly make their way to the small door against the wall. Mad Jack didn't even seem to notice as his throne touched down and he stood up, giving Joe a slow, ironic hand clap. 

"Well done, Joe. You actually followed my instructions. Now hand over The Book, if you please."

Joe glanced at the door. Fred and Sam still hadn't reached it yet. He had to stall for more time. He took a step back from his uncle and reached into his pocket for his pen. He licked his dry lips and spoke to his uncle directly. 

"W-why are you doing this?" He asked, looking him in the eye, "As much as I hate to admit it, we're family. Why do you want to hurt us?"

For a minute, Mad Jack's expression wavered. But then his eyes became cold and haughty. "Family means nothing to me. You've been in my way for far too long keeping me from what's rightfully mine. Now enough squabbling. Give me The Book. Now!"

"It isn't yours!" Joe stepped back, his knees felt weak but he kept eye contact with his uncle.

But Mad Jack's patience finally ran out. He pulled out his staff and blasted the ground near Joe's feet making him cry out and fall back. His eyes darted behind Mad Jack. Fred and Sam had just gotten to the door and were trying to get inside. 

"What could you possibly be looking at?" Mad Jack started to turn so Joe had to act. Now.

"I'll never give The Book to someone like you!" Joe yelled and whipped his uncle's pen. He pressed what he hoped was the "on" button and a blast of green light shot out and glanced Mad Jack's arm, doing nothing more than ripping through his sleeve. But it was enough to make Mad Jack turn on him with fury, and more importantly, away from Fred and Sam.

"You'll regret that, Joe." Mad Jack snarled and transformed his staff into a sword. 

Joe jumped up and pressed a different button on the pen, transforming it into a sword as well. A sudden surge of adrenaline went through him and he suddenly felt like he could actually do this. Uncle Joe had been training him. He used The Book for years. He was the future Wap Wizard. 

"I think you'll regret ever messing with me!" He said triumphantly.

"History will be the judge of that!"

 Mad Jack swung, faster than Joe expected and he barely managed to dodge back. The heat of the glowing green blade was surprising and caught him off guard. Joe swung back but his blade came nowhere near Mad Jack. He didn't have time to think about what he did wrong though because Mad Jack was still coming forward, swinging at him. Joe gripped his sword with both hands and tried to think of all the sword fighting scenes he'd ever seen. It was hard to think with the glow of the swords shining in his eyes and the yellow smoke stinging his throat.

"You're just as pathetic at my brother!" Mad Jack crowed, "And I bet you're just as susceptible to my tricks!" 

He then reached into his pocket and threw a handful of colorful powder in Joe's face. 

"Ah!" Joe yelped and put up his hand out of reflex.  _NO!_

A sudden burst of energy jolted through him and a bright green light flashed from his hand, dissolving the powder instantly. The two of them froze in shock. Joe stared at his palm and back at Mad Jack who was staring at him in genuine surprise and... alarm. Joe grinned, he knew he could do this! He swung his sword and this time Mad Jack had to dodge it. He bared his teeth in a snarl and started coming at Joe harder, his swings stronger. Joe's tried to maintain his confidence boost as he fought back, but he was finding it increasingly difficult. Mad Jack was just a better swordsman than he was. Joe tried to move quickly, be nimble, but his feet keep stumbling on the uneven ground. He moved backwards, trying to keep Mad Jack away from the door and distracted so his friends could rescue Anna, but Mad Jack was quickly overpowering him.

"Why- won't- you- give- up!?" Mad Jack punctuated each thrust of his sword. "You're- just- a- warp- runt!"

"I- am- nAH!" Joe cried out as Mad Jack's sword grazed his arm, both cutting and searing his skin. He stumbled back and fell to one knee, clutching his arm in pain and tears stung his eyes.

"Joe!"

Both he and Mad Jack turned to see Fred, Sam, and Anna coming out of the back room. Anna was stared at Joe in terror but Mad Jack's eyes were locked on The Book in Fred's hands. 

"The Book!" Mad Jack yelled and his sword transformed back into his staff. "It's mine!"

The sudden, horrible image of Mad Jack blasting his best friends and sister to dust flashed through Joe's mind.

"NO!" He cried and thrust out his hand. A rush of energy and a blast of green light shot from his palm and hit Mad Jack in the back knocking him down. He was slow getting up, hatred burning in his eyes as he glared at Joe.

"I was planning on sparing your life," His staff transformed back into a sword, "But now I see that I'll have to  _spear_ you instead!"

He swung down and not knowing what else to do Joe swung his sword up. Their blades collided creating a massive, blinding flare. Eyes narrowed, Mad Jack began to bare his weight down, Joe felt his arm weaken trying to hold him off. The flare was glowing brighter, he couldn't see, couldn't think. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple from the heat. In another act of desperation, Joe swung his sword up and away, just trying to get the glare away from his face. Mad Jack's sword moved with his and a blast shot out from where the blades intersected. 

Joe felt relief and triumph. But only for a moment. The blast hit one of the rock pillars, destroying the top. Debris, large jagged stones, flew everywhere and showered down to the ground. Directly over Fred, Sam, and Anna.

"Look out!"

The three of them dived in separate directions. The debris rained down creating a cloud of dust. When it cleared, Joe's heart stopped. 

Fred and Sam were picking themselves up, shaken but unhurt. But Anna wasn't moving. 

"Anna!" Forgetting about Mad Jack, their fight, or his staff, Joe dropped his sword and ran to her. With each step his heart pounded in his chest, ready to explode. His head pounded, his eyes were hot. By the time he reached her, Fred and Sam were already kneeling beside her. Their expressions were solemn. Anna was laying on her back, her eyes closed. Blood ran down the side of her face and leaked out of her nose. A gash above her eyebrow matched too well with a large stone nearby, spotted with red. 

"Anna?" Joe's voice broke, his throat swelled as he touched her shoulder. "A-Anna, wake up. C-come on, get up."

He shook her shoulder as gently as he could but she didn't move. His little sister, his baby sister, wasn't waking up. Wasn't clinging to him, wasn't invading his space, wasn't demanding to be included in his life. Anna was just lying there, too still, too quiet. 

"W-we have to put pressure on it," Sam was talking but his voice sounded a thousand miles away. "We have to get the bl-bleeding to stop."

Bleeding. His sister. Uncle Joe was nowhere to be found. His parents, what could he even tell them? They knew nothing about The Book or magic. How was he going to tell them that because of him, because he was too weak, that Anna was-

"Th-this is all your fault," Joe's head snapped up and he turned to see Mad Jack cautiously walking towards them. Even he seemed sobered by what just transpired. "All you had to give was give me The Book."

All of this, Mad Jack chasing them, Anna lying here still and bleeding all because this maniac wanted power. Joe felt something inside of him break and his body started shaking. And with the shaking came heat, burning him from within. 

"You... monster," Joe didn’t recognize is own voice. He never felt so angry in all his life. "Was it worth it? Was the life of your niece worth it!?"

The ground trembled and Mad Jack took a step back. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Joe wasn't interested in what he had to say though. His head was pounding, his vision was started to tunnel. Until suddenly, everything went green and Joe felt something burst from within him. The cavern was suddenly filled with bright green light in an explosion.

Joe came back to himself with a gasp. An earthquake made the floors and walls tremble. The light filled cracks in the walls were now tinged green and were starting to spread breaking the walls apart. 

 Mad Jack stumbled back, looking around and at Joe in absolute terror. "What did you!? What did you do!?"

"I-I-" Joe tried to blink the world into focus. His head swam and his body felt weak.

The trembling increased and the cavern literally began to fall apart around them. Mad Jack tried to run but with an explosion of smoke, the ceiling collapsed. One minute Joe saw Mad Jack running, the next minute the was nothing but rubble and smoke. Joe felt his stomach lurch. It was too much, it was all too much. Anna. Mad Jack. His sister and the uncle who tried to kill him. Gone.

"She's breathing! Joe, Anna's breathing!"

"Anna!?" Joe spun around. Anna was groaning as she tried to sit up. Fred's shirt was wrapped around her head, Sam holding it against her wound.

"Joe?" Her voice was tiny, she held her hand out to him like she used to when she was little. Joe took it gratefully, tears of relief filling his eyes. 

"Um, I hate to interrupt this reunion but-" Fred shoved The Book into Joe's hands, "I think we should get out of here!" 

Joe snapped out of his relieved daze and realized that Fred was right. The cavern was still collapsing around him. Shouting for everyone to hang on, he opened The Book causing the green mist to come pouring out and warped them home.

* * *

**The Aftermath**

After he placed the last stitch and cleaned up the remaining blood, the doctor moved away to talk to Joe's mom, explaining how to care for Anna's stitches, pain medication, and how to look for signs of concussions. Joe, Fred, and Sam they had taken Anna straight to the emergency room with the story that they were all playing a little too roughly and she got hurt. Fred and Sam had already gone home, after promising not to say a word to anyone, and Joe called his mom to tell her what happened.  

"Hey," Joe moved to sit closer to Anna and took her hand, "how do you feel?"

"I told you a hundred times already I'm fine." Anna smiled but gripped his hand tightly. There were still remnants of fear in her eyes. She looked exhausted and filthy, her clothes torn. "The cut wasn't that bad. I only needed three stitches."

"But you wouldn't have needed any if it wasn't for me," Joe hastily wiped at his eyes. "I should have done a better job protecting you."

Anna shook her head which mad her wince, "Joe, you couldn't possibly have known Mad Jack was going to kidnap me on the way home from school. Heck, I didn't see him until he snuck up on me."

"It's just my fault though," Joe's free hand clenched, "Uncle Joe-"

"There you are!" The curtain was pulled back and Uncle Joe rushed to them followed closely by Mrs. Arthur. Uncle Joe wrapped his arms around Anna, carefully avoiding her injured forehead. "I'm so glad you're safe. I rushed over as soon as I got your message and your mom said you were here."

He turned to hug Joe, he stepped back, feeling no urge to touch his uncle right now. "You sure took your time."

"Joseph!" His mom chided him in shock. "That's no way to talk to your uncle!"

But Joe couldn't stop, and his next words shot out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Mad Jack was right! You're every bit as incompetent as he says!"

Anna gasped, Uncle Joe gasped, but his mother looked between them in confusion. 

"Mad Jack?" She asked slowly, "Whose... Mad Jack?"

"Your brother and the man who caused all this to happen!" Joe was yelling again so he lowered his voice. Anna was giving him a warning look but he ignored it. He was tired of hiding things from his own mother. "Your other brother Jack has been stalking me for years mom, because he's after this."

Joe went into his backpack and pulled out The Book. He expected his mother to gasp, but she only looked cautiously. 

"Joseph," Her voice was low as she knelt down and touched his forehead with her cool fingertips, "did you hit your head too? You know I only have one brother."

"W-what? No, you do. His name is Jack and he's crazy and-"

"I think, Joe's a bit exhausted," Uncle Joe chuckled nervously and laid a hand on his shoulder, "And he probably needs something in his stomach. Why don't I take him to the vending machine and get him something?"

"Don't touch me," Joe jerked his shoulder out of his uncle's grip but his mother was still staring down at him in concern. "Fine, I'll go. But when I get back mom, there's something I have to tell you."

Joe wouldn't let Uncle Joe touch him but allowed him to lead him down the hall away from eavesdropping. A part of him felt bad, but a bigger part of him felt furious. Joe failed because Uncle Joe never trained him. He'd known for years that a lunatic was after him, but he never bothered to teach him how to defend himself. He just thrust The Book in his arms and disappeared. As a matter of fact, the more Joe thought about it, the angrier he became. He, Fred, Sam and even Anna had warped dozens of time without any guidance. What kind of irresponsible person does that?

"Joseph, please," Uncle Joe pleaded, "just talk to me. Let me explain."

"Explain!?" Joe whirled on him, "explain how you keep disappearing on me? Explain how you gave me the most power object in the universe but never taught me how to use it? Or explain how when I needed you the most, when  _Anna,_ need you the most, you couldn't be bothered!"

He was yelling again but more embarrassingly; his cheeks were wet with tears. He scrubbed his face dry with his sleeve and took a few breathes to calm himself down. When he looked at his uncle again, his eyes were misty but Joe ignored the pang he felt to see it. 

"I'm telling my mom everything," Joe said firmly, pushing past him. "I should have done it a long time ago."

Uncle Joe shook his head and caught his arm, "You can't. She won't know what you're talking about. Her mind literally can't process it."

"You can't stop me from- wait what?" Joe stared at him, "What do you mean?"

Uncle Joe sighed and looked away, shame clear in his eyes, "I... when I was no more than a teenager... when Jack first went mad... I put a spell on your mother that erased and blocked her from all knowledge of The Book and time travel. Including our brother Jack."

Joe gasped and stumbled back, "How could you- why would you?"

"To protect her- to protect all of you." Uncle Joe bent down to be eye level with Joe and gripped him by the shoulders. He looked into his eyes, pleading and tearful, "I never meant for this to happen Joe believe me! There are many things happening right now but if you just give me a chance to explain-"

Something began to flash in Uncle Joe's front pocket and he took out a pocket watch. As Joe watched him look at it, his shoulders sagged and even his mustache seemed to droop. He turned back to Joe with a guilty expression, "Joe, I'm sorry but I-"

"Just go," Joe turned away from him and started walking, "And don't bother coming back."

When he reached his mom, she was helping Anna into her jacket. She looked up as he approached. "There you are. We're about to leave. Your dad's meeting us at the house. Where's your uncle?"

"He's gone, again." Joe took a breath and looked her in the eyes. "And so is Mad- I mean, my other uncle Jack."

"Jack?" Mrs. Arthur blinked and tilted her head in confusion. "Whose Jack?"

_She won't know what you're talking about. Her mind literally can't process it_ _._ Joe shook his head and tucked The Book into his backpack, "Never mind. Let's go home."

In the car, Joe sat in the back seat while Anna rattled off a made-up account of what happened. Joe only half listened. Instead his mind was working. First thing tomorrow, he was blowing his allowance on a steel lockbox to keep The Book in. And then, he was locking it away somewhere no one could get to it. He was done. It wasn't worth it anymore. Joe was done with magic for good. 

As soon as the thought entered his mind, his head was filled with a throbbing, buzzing sensation.

"Shut up," He grumbled and it instantly ceased. 

"Joe?" His mother's eyes flashed in the review mirror, "Is everything alright?"

_No._ "Yeah mom," He did his best to smile, "Everything is fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that everything is set in motion for the rest of the stories. Joe thinks he's done with magic for good, but this is only the beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> I guess you can call this a comeback of sorts. I'm rewriting some of my time warp trio stories from my fanfiction account but making them AO3 exclusive. Stay tuned for more. Comments are always appreciated.


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